Pining Heart
by The Phantom
Summary: (A Midsummer Night's Dream) Ah, what dangers come when a Fairy falls in love with a Mortal... and the least likely Fairy of all to open his heart.


Disclaimer: Puck and Oberon do not belong to me. All other characters do. 

Pining Heart

The Puck was quite a trickster

He was clever, he was smart

And the one thing that he guarded most

Would be his fairy heart

He put himself above the rest

A self-made high promotion

Because the thing he feared the most

Was weakening emotions

So he was aloof and tricky

Playing pranks and having fun

Hiding behind a mask of joy

That fooled most everyone

But that little Puck was lonely

And he longed to hear his name

Being called in such sweet love

Which he could answer just the same

On a fateful day, while wandering

Through the fairy's little wood

He heard a clear voice singing

Sounding pure and clean and good

Curiosity drove him in pursuit

Of that song as clear as water

And peering through the trees he spied

A lovely woodcutter's daughter

Her hair was dark as raven's wing

Her face was round and fine

And a pulsing, glowing radiance

Was shimmering in her eyne

Now Puck had never seen such things 

For all the fairy girls

Were fair and pale and delicate

With softly golden curls

But this girl was a worker

She was strong as any man

And yet she was still beautiful

There was no callous on her hand

Such rugged beauty that he saw

With the song of lovely art

That knavish little fairy felt

A melting in his heart

His heart was hammering in his chest

And fluttering like a dove

And in that moment, Robin knew

That he had fallen in love

At once he sped to his Fairy King

And falling on his knees

He begged for one small favor

In his desperate little pleas

'My Lord, it's in your power

You can do it on command

Change me to a mortal

That I may win my lover's hand'

Oberon was startled

That his sly and clever Puck

Had fallen for a mortal

Which would always bring bad luck

But he thought of a solution

Which he hoped would set things right

'My Robin, you have three weeks

Starting from this very night

To be a mortal, and in that time

If you have won her heart

You may take her as a fairy

And I'll change her with my art

In three weeks time, if she loves thee

And grants thee true love's kiss

Through that contact she will fairy be

To live with you in bliss'

'A kiss! A kiss!' the Puck cried out

'That will so simple be!'

'But Robin', the King reminded

'It is she who must kiss thee'

The little fairy nodded

'Fairy Lord, I shall do so

And I thank thee for your understanding

And granting me to go'

'Take care, my Puck' the answer

'For you know that, by my art

I cannot help or mend you

If you receive a broken heart'

But Puck was firmly confident

That she would love him too

He didn't fear the horrors

That a broken heart could do

And so in a swirl of magic

Robin from the Fairy Court fell

And waking up he found himself

Inside a mortal shell

At once he sprang back to the glade

Running gracefully along

And pausing, straining ears to hear

He heard his lover's song

Coming to the edge of where

She worked at chopping wood

He sang so sweetly back to her

She stopped her job and stood

'O fair woodcutter's daughter

Thou are lovely as the sky

And the stars that shine the brightest

Are a twinkling in thine eye

I do not know your pretty name

Your beauty's all I see

And all I can say, my lovely

Is that I love thee!'

And stepping from his hiding place 

He extended out his hand

And told her he was a minstrel

That was wandering through the land

She laughed and offered her hand in return

He pressed it to his lips

Announcing that her siren song

Would turn the bravest ships

She laughed again so merrily

It made his sprite heart leap

He asked in a quiet voice if he

Could stay and earn his keep

The nearest inn was miles away

Perhaps he could stay on

And earn his room while chopping wood

And other chores, so on

She said she'd ask her father

But first, what was the minstrel's name?

He answered it was Robin

And he asked her for the same

She said her name was Fiona

And he said that lovely name

Would put the sun and stars and moon

All quickly down to shame

After talking with her father

Robin was allowed to stay

Until the minstrel took his leave

And wandered on his way

So Robin was in paradise

Fiona always near

His little heart went out to her

To the one he loved so dear

He chopped the wood and pulled the weeds

And fed the horse each day

And all the while, he prayed and hoped

Fiona's heart to sway

They spent many a day together

He romanced her with his words

And the two would sing duets

Sounding fairer than the birds

And every day at sunset

He would get on bended knee

And say 'Fiona, how I love you

Dost thou love me?'

And every time she'd smile at him

And answer 'Robin dear

In a few weeks time I'll show you

That my affections are so clear'

She'd kiss him on the cheek

Or on his forehead, in his hair

But the never the kiss on the lips

That would make her fairy fair

As weeks went by he offered her

His undying devotion

He gave his very heart to her

So brimming with emotion

She always said 'My Robin,

In a few weeks time you'll see'

And sure that she would give her love

The Puck waited anxiously

Three weeks had passed; that very night

The spell would no longer bind

Driving Robin to the fairy world

To leave his love behind

He sought out his Fiona

And he got down on his knees

Once more he begged her for her love

In wrenching, humble pleas

But suddenly a sound was heard

A jingle of horse's tack

A mighty steed came riding 

With a young man on it's back

At once, he leapt down from his mount

And ran to Fiona's side

And showered her with kisses

While the lovely maiden cried

She said, 'My love, what kept you?

I have waited far too long

While you have made your fortune

Are you wealthy now, and strong?'

'My fair Fiona,' answered he

'My fortune has been made

And now I will at last wed thee

As our lover's vows have bade'

They kissed each other again and again

As a future husband and wife

Where if she had kissed her Robin once so

She'd have immortal life

The pair of lovers went inside

There were smiles all around

Neither seemed to notice Robin

Still kneeling on the ground

His shoulders trembled slightly

And he made little, quiet cries

The girl who'd almost loved him

Snatched away before his eyes

She betrayed him, keeping secret

That she had a love her own

She'd led him on for three long weeks

And then dropped him all alone

The mortal shell then fell away

Revealing little sprite

Invisible to all he knelt there

Staying through the night

And in the night he heard them

As they pledged love forevermore

And a steady stream of tears fell from

Eyes that had never wept before

In desperation to be loved 

He'd given her his heart

But that shattered now so hopelessly

It simply fell apart

And in the dawn when Oberon

Took Robin back away

The little sprite still stared where he

Had seen his love that first day

Now fairies guard their hearts quite well

It's a rule that's never spoken

So it really never happened

That a fairy's heart was broken

But a fairy's heart, when broken

Can't be mended ever again

And forever that poor creature

Will feel that aching, empty pain

All fairies are reminded

Never to a mortal stray

They think only of little Puck

Who gave his heart away

And now on lonely, moonlit nights

When ghosts stray from their graves

When the only mortals out are those

Too foolish or too brave

There's a glimmer in the darkness

Of a little shadow on its' way

Its' gait is slow and broken

Its' appearance far from gay

No longer does it look the sprite

That once was quick and sly

Instead of once its' laughter

You will hear a ragged sigh

Perching in a tree branch

Of a certain little grove

The ghostly sprite will sing and call

For his phantom love

'O fair woodcutter's daughter

Thou are lovely as the sky

The stars that shine the brightest

Are a twinkling in thine eye

I do not know your pretty name

Your beauty's all I see

And all I can say, my lovely

Is that…

I

Love

Thee…'

~ The End


End file.
